Hands-In diagnoses nonprofit volunteer programs, delivers guided 90-day improvement plans, and studies how a new generation gives — so both sides of volunteering work better.
Hands-In exists to democratize philanthropy and facilitate people-led social impact through technology and community. Everything we build follows three ordering commitments:
The point is volunteer programs that work and volunteers who come back. Every product is judged against that outcome, not against its own growth.
We study both sides of volunteering in the field — how nonprofits run programs and how young people decide to give — and turn what we learn into tools.
A lab that cannot fund itself serves no one. Our paid work with nonprofits funds the free tools and the research underneath all of it.
Hands-In grew out of six years of research experience and the Hands-In NYC volunteer community — and a simple observation: young people want to give, and nonprofits need them, but the experience in between is broken on both sides. We diagnose before we prescribe, and we never automate a job we haven't first done by hand.
Most volunteer advice fails because it skips the diagnosis. We start by measuring where your program actually stands — then build the plan from there.
A structured assessment of your volunteer program across the full lifecycle — from preparing for volunteers to sustaining relationships after the event.
For organizations ready to act on their VRI results: a hands-on engagement that turns the diagnosis into a working 90-day plan — and then measures whether it worked.
The supply side of the lab: tools and community for young people who want to give their time to organizations that will actually use it well.
Answer a few questions about how you like to help, and get matched with vetted grassroots nonprofits in your city — small organizations doing real work, where showing up matters.
A cohort of people who volunteer together — a great way to meet people that happens to do real good. Founding Chicago cohort runs this fall.
Whether you run a volunteer program, want to bring Hands-In to your city, or just want to compare notes on engagement research — the founder reads every message.
or email directly: jalen@handsinphilanthropic.com